Turning empathy into industry disruption
Today’s guest is Samantha Diamond, co-founder of Bird&Be, a reproductive health company built alongside fertility doctors to help people be proactive about their fertility — from “trimester zero” through pregnancy and postpartum.
What I learned from Sam is that empathy, when embedded into how you build, becomes a competitive advantage — especially in stagnant industries.
Fertility, and female healthcare more broadly, hasn’t meaningfully evolved in how it shows up for customers. There’s very little empathy for the emotional reality of the journey.
Sam saw that gap firsthand, and what she’s done with Bird&Be proves that mission-driven founders build more than just products. They have the power to shift the culture that surrounds those products.
Through intentional product design, obsessive customer listening, and a retail partnership with Ulta, Bird&Be has moved reproductive health from the back corner of the pharmacy into the beauty and overall wellness conversation.
If you’re building in fintech, healthtech, edtech, climate, HR — any space where trust matters and culture feels stuck — this conversation will show you how mission, when embedded deeply enough, can become your edge.
You’ll learn how Sam operationalizes empathy at every level of the business. And what it actually takes to go from an idea in 2016 to a national retail expansion in 2025. We unpack the long timeline, the patience, and the strategic decisions required to scale without losing the mission.
Finally in true Mimir fashion, I couldn’t let Sam go without asking her how being a founder has shaped her as a person. She’s sharing the key to resilience, putting in uncomfortable reps, and how to found in spaces you don’t have technical expertise in.
Tune in to the full episode to learn how empathy can move from pretty words to infrastructure — and how that shift can change not just your industry, but the culture surrounding it.
Connect with Sam:
birdandbe.com
@birdbeco
